I would like to make nice and durable skull with antlers mount of my future buck kill.
While ago I've seen nice pics posted by other members.
Could anybody give me some pointers?
Thanks in advance,
Bow_Nut

I have done this using a turkey cooker. First I will cut off as much of everything as I can from the skull. Second I will suspend the skull in the pot full of water so that only the skull in under. Then boil for a couple of hours adding water as needed. After boiling everything else pretty much falls off. After you get it cleaned the way you want it I will put 1 part bleach to about 4 parts water back in the pot. Making absolutly sure to only get the skull wet I will put it back in the solution. I pack cotton balls around the skull at the antlers so the bleach gets to all the skull but not the antler. Only leave in the solution for about 15 minutes then check. If you need more time you can always put it back.

Hope this helps. It has worked for me a couple of times. Good luck with it.

wihunter402,

Thanks for your help.

Once you have everything clean and dry, do you apply some protective clear coat?

I have not done that yet. A guy I work with has done this many times and he doesn't do that anymore either. Some of the first ones he did turned yellow after about 6-8 years. Maybe if you could get one that doesn't yellow over time but I just don't bother.

My son has done this with some raccoon and cat skulls. They come out looking pretty cool.

I had my bear skull cleaned by a guy who cleans all types of skulls for a living and he sealed mine with a clear wax, he just rubs it in. He said it protects it very well and keeps it from turning yellow.

Take a look at what these guys do. They put a metalic coating on your skull.

www.skulltaxidermy.com

Stinky1,

Great link,
Thanks

no offense, but that metallic finish doesnt really look good. that is just my opinion. you could do the same thing with a can of metallic spray paint.

I agree about the metallic finish, but I want to check what "whitening powder" they use, and also their claim that boiling skulls causes some fat to get into the bone resulting in yellow colloration.
They also have some neat ideas for mounting and displaying their skulls.

I have seen my taxidermist do the european skull mount a couple of times and he uses beatles(not sure which kind)They do an awesome job of cleaning all the flesh off the skull.

Anyone know the type of beatles used?,might try this myself this year when I get my big wall hanger